Dynamics of a Social Language Learning Community

Beliefs, Membership and Identity

Jo Mynard,Michael Burke,Daniel Hooper,Bethan Kushida,Phoebe Lyon,Ross Sampson,Phillip Taw

• Publisher: Multilingual Matters
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781788928922
• Topic: Psychologie
• Subtopic: Persönlichkeit in der Psychologie

This book provides an in-depth exploration of psychological phenomena affecting language learning within a social learning space. Drawing on the literature from identity in second language learning, communities of practice and learner beliefs, in conjunction with other individual difference factors, it uncovers perceptions and assumptions that language learners have of the space and how they affect their relationship with it and the people within it. Readers will gain a greater understanding of how psychological phenomena shape a space and how a learning space can contribute to a wider learning ecology. This book will appeal to researchers interested in language learning beyond the classroom and psychological aspects of language acquisition, as well as to practitioners and professionals who are supporting learners outside the classroom.

Part 1

Setting the Scene

1 Introduction

Background

This book presents an in-depth look at a social language learning space within a university context. Providing support for language learners through the provision of self-access centres, conversation lounges and other such spaces is becoming more commonplace, but we still know relatively little about the dynamics of them and how they contribute to the language learning process. In this book, the authors present a case study of a social language learning space, share the results of a detailed longitudinal investigation into the space and make recommendations to others who are working in similar spaces related to research and practice.

In April 2017, the institution under examination in this book, Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS), opened a brand-new building called KUIS 8. This building contained the third iteration of the Self-Access Learning Centre (SALC), which is a facility designed to promote target language study and use, and to facilitate the development of language learner autonomy. SALCs (also known as SACs or ILCs [independent/individual learning centres]) are facilities which provide access to resources and services to support learners in their language learning. These resources can include materials such as books, worksheets and audio-visual items; people such as learning advisors and language lecturers; activities such as workshops and classes; and spaces in which students can use these resources. Each time a new version of the SALC is constructed at KUIS, its staff and users improve the facilities and attempt to accommodate the needs of the students by drawing on current theories, research, observations and knowledge from practice. KUIS 8 was conceptualised as a social learning community, so exploring ways to promote the use of the target language within this community was one of the institutional priorities. One of the key features of the new SALC and the previous one in another building (which operated from June 2003 to February 2017) was the conversation lounge, or the English Lounge. Although the previous SALC contained materials, offered an advising service, provided courses on self-directed learning and held regular events and workshops, to many students, the conversation lounge was the main feature that they associated with the SALC.

Even before beginning the present research project, it was evident that beliefs, identity and membership of a community all played a role in how learners perceived the lounge and whether they chose to engage with it or avoid it altogether. As we (the authors of this book) work in and around the English Lounge every day, we are able to casually observe the space and make assumptions, but there are several reasons why we decided to undertake more systematic research. Firstly, we wanted to make the English Lounge accessible to all learners who might like to use it. In order to do this, we needed to develop a deeper understanding of what was occurring in the space. This would also include a deeper knowledge of behaviours and views among the different types of users. Prior to this study, with just two exceptions (Gillies, 2010; Rose & Elliott, 2010), no research had been conducted on this social learning space, so we had very little to guide us initially. Secondly, we had just moved into a new space and needed to monitor the English Lounge and the SALC in general more closely than usual and possibly make adjustments in the first year. Finally, taking a broader perspective we could see from the growing interest worldwide in social language learning spaces that other researchers and practitioners were also concerned with ways of creating optimal learning environments for language practice and development. Examples of international interest include symposia resulting in edited volumes (Murray, 2014b; Murray & Lamb, 2018), and a journal column with international contributions published in seven instalments over several years (Thornton, 2015). Murray (2014a) suggests that learners’ identities, emotions, feelings and perceptions are key elements which shape spaces and transform them into places for learning, and we were interested in investigating psychological elements in our own context. With this in mind, the study of a micro-space within a larger learning ecology could have much to offer the field. In order to meet these three objectives, we decided to undertake a longitudinal ethnographic study which has resulted in the publication of this book.

The Purpose of This Book

The purpose of this book is to provide an in-depth exploration of psychological phenomena affecting language learning within a social learning space. Drawing on the literature from identity in second language (L2) learning, communities of practice (CoPs), cross-cultural psychology and learner beliefs in conjunction with other individual difference factors, we uncover perceptions and assumptions that language learners have of the space that affect their relationship with it and the people within it. Understanding this micro-space within a SALC will allow us to understand how one learning space can contribute to a wider learning ecology.

Throughout the project, we have kept the following questions in mind, and we hope to provide some answers that will expand the understanding of how psychological phenomena shape a space, and how we might understand a space through the views and actions of participants within it. The versions of the questions below are fairly broad ones and are developed further in the relevant chapters of this volume.

(1) What happens in the English Lounge?

(a) What communities are formed in the space?

(b) How do different students perceive and use the space?

(c) Why do some students choose not to use the space? (also considered in Questions 3 and 4)

(2) What is the relationship between the English Lounge and language learner identity?

(3) How do learner beliefs affect participation in the space?

(4) What other factors affect the ways in which participants view and use (or avoid) the English Lounge?

We also attempt to relate our findings to the wider world by considering the following meta questions:

(5) How does an understanding of psychological phenomena benefit users and potential users?

(6) What do we learn that can be applied to the study of social learning spaces elsewhere?

(7) How can language learners best be supported as they navigate the complex processes of language learning within a wider ecology of learning opportunities?

Who is This Book For?

There is growing interest in the field of ‘language learning beyond the classroom’ (Benson, 2011a, 2017; Benson & Reinders, 2011) as part of a learner’s learning ecology, yet language educators are often unprepared to provide appropriate support for learners. In addition, spaces for potential learning beyond the classroom may be available, so educators may benefit from understanding the dynamics within such spaces in order to maximise learning opportunities. There is growing interest in providing and examining social spaces for language learning, yet surprisingly, only one book has been published in this area (Murray & Fujishima, 2016b). Our hope is that our book will be a resource for teachers and self-access professionals such as learning advisors who are supporting language learners mainly outside the classroom, especially if they are interested in exploring what is hap...